Hot Flashes & Night Sweats

Hot flashes and night sweats are the most common symptoms of perimenopause. Early in the process, you might think your night sweat was caused by burying yourself under too many blankets or set the thermostat too high. Or maybe your bed partner was too warm? But when the daytime flashes hit, leaving you red-faced and embarrassed in the middle of a workplace meeting, it becomes quite clear what is happening.

Blame it on the hormones! Fluctuating estrogen levels can wreak havoc on your body and send your inner thermostat spiraling out of control. The comfort zone gets small that you overheat at a lower temperature and freeze at a higher temperature. Many women in menopause are always either hot or too cold – never just right.

When estrogen levels decline, our thermostats become more sensitive to changes in body temperature. This increased sensitivity or intolerance is further exacerbated by anxiety, sleep deprivation, and stress. When this overheating occurs during the day, we call it a hot flash. When this uncontrollable overheating occurs at night, it's called a night sweat.

Hot flashes and night sweats are annoying, uncomfortable, and sometimes embarrassing! But they are not medically harmful. The  best way to stay cool when hot flashes and night sweats happen is to be prepared.